Just got a water meter!

[HappydaysArehere]

Just got this Water meter against my better judgement. DH's brother said it saved money and one or two other people. There are two of us at home all day as we are retired. I cook from scratch and make cakes/puddings as well, this is involving washing of veg and fruit, clearing up. Then there are the wash loads which now seem numerous, the toilet flushing, the shower which needs to run before it gets warm,the dish washer every evening, the cleaning. We use very little for the garden as we have water butts and my husband usually washes the car with buckets of water. I regret our decision as I realise I hate thinking about it all. Apparently we can revert within a year so all is not lost. I find it annoying tho so will I get a shock or a surprise?

[JinRamen]

We are being forced onto a meter by our water company, so following with interest.

[FrogletinaBallerina]

We are in a new build so they installed 'water saving measures' there's 4 of us, I do two loads of washing a day, dishwasher is on daily, DH has a 15 minute shower every morning, me and DC have baths or showers daily plus I work from home and we use £27 of water each month.

Your local water company will have their own water saving site where you can get free gems to help reduce the water you use.

[Watto1]

I believe the general rule of thumb is if you have more bedrooms then people living in the house, you will probably save money. When I lived alone in a 2 bed house, I paid 30 pounds per quarter when I switched to a meter. I was previously paying 25 pounds per month on the water rates, so a pretty significant saving.

[cozietoesie]

I'm paying just over £500 a year on an annual charge (billed monthly with Council Tax) for water and waste water services. No metering proposals here so far.

[Fluffycloudland77]

It's just us at home & its £20 a month. I run the dw every night & daily showers.

If you check your manual for the dw and wm it will have a list of programs. It should tell you how much water is used for each program.

I stopped using cotton cycles when I found out it used 20l extra.

[Chottie]

There are two of us in our house. We are on a meter too. We use a washing machine and dishwasher and power showers everyday. Our bill is £11.00 per month. For us it is definitely cheaper.

[cozietoesie]

I'm guessing that non-metered water will become the rare thing in the future?

[RalphSteadmansEye]

I don't know anyone with a meter who pays more than people still on rates - and the rates are very cheap in our area.

What were you paying before your meter was installed?

[Fluffycloudland77]

My pil pay the same as rates on a meter but didn't know you could switch back.

They don't have a dw & wash up under running water. How mil copes is beyond me. I'd have been tried for murder by now.

[SaveSomeSpendSome]

Im on a water meter and its £60 a month!!!!!

There is only me, dh, and one toddler. Washer is on 4 times a week. Dishwasher is on once a day. Both appliances are A* rating.

One shallow bath for dd and 2 10 min showers for each of us a day.

Its a ridiculous amount considering i dont know anyone that pays over £25 a month on a non metered household.

When we lived in our last house the rates were the same on the water meter so i know we dont have a leak.

[feetlikeahobbit]

I've been on one for years, water rates around here are £55 a month, we pay £23.

That's for DH, me and teenage DD. Lots of showers, quite a few washing loads and no dishwasher. I do wash the car at my mums though (no meter).

[seasidesally]

no meter here,i adult 2 kids

we pay just over £500 a year

[MiniLop]

We have no meter and are paying about £500 per year, 2 adults and a toddler in a 3 bedroom house. We can't have a meter though as our water main is shared with next door and the point where it eventually splits is now buried under our extension!

[FinallyFreeFromItAll]

i dont know anyone that pays over £25 a month on a non metered household

mines £41pm! It pisses me off because its rented, so landlord doesn't want a meter, yet previously on a meter (even with ex who had seriously long showers) never used more than £28 worth.

[Ruhrpott]

My water rates are £71 a month and I'm waiting for a meter to be installed next month.

[HappydaysArehere]

Thank you all for your replies. Our non metered payments have been £56 per month for eight months a year. Our new payments have been an initial estimate - we haven't had a reading yet - of £27 per month for 12 months a year. Unmetered we paid £460 a year. I am concerned that our reading will be more than that. Every time I rinse something, clean the sink, wash my painting brushes out - my hobby is painting - I think "blooming heck, wish I hadn't been persuaded". The water company allow you to change your mind if you do so within a month of receiving your second bill or within a year of it being fitted. At least that is what we received in writing.
However, you have cheered me up with your replies so thank you. Thank you Fluffy for your suggestion of looking in the washing machine manual for the water consumption. I am sorry for Savesome who is paying so much for such a normal consumption. Do different Water Authorities charge different rates? From what Ruhrpott says it appears there are big differences.

[SaveSomeSpendSome]

Im with united utilites in lancashire, north west

[Eminado]

£41 per month here without a meter - maybe we should get one!!

[NannyR]

Ask your water company if they give away any water saving freebies. In my area you can get a pack containing a bag you put in your cistern to save water flushing, tap aerators (they screw into your tap really easily and reduce the rate at which water comes out of the tap), a shower timer for four minute showers, I think there were a few other bits as well. I also bought a shower head that uses less water from a company called Eco camel.

[Friendlystories]

2 adults, 1 child here, we're on a meter and it comes in at about £15 a month. Me and DD are home all day, washer on most days, no DW and we're under South Staffs Water.

[Tequilamockinbird]

We pay £37 a month on a meter. Me, DH and teenage DD.

Dishwasher and washer on about 4 times a week, and daily baths/showers.

[suitsyousir79]

We are two adults and a child. We have a dishwasher and do at least one washing machine load a day. We have a shower or bath each a day and i brew my own beer once every couple of months, which uses approx 60-70 litres a time. Our water bills almosy halved from £30 to £17 a month when we switched to metered water.

[Fluffycloudland77]

I wish the water boards would offer a cheap dw to people rather than tap inserts etc.

It would save so much water.

Different companies do charge different amounts, the SE is more expensive.

Paintbrushes could be rinsed in a bucket of water from the water butts.

[cozietoesie]

Looking at my own family, I put much of the issue down to toilets. There are plenty of youngsters - adults also perhaps - who will happily just reach out and use that handle to flush a toilet purely to dispose of (via a cistern of drinking quality water) eg a scrap of cleanish tissue paper or a whisp of hair from a brush.

They'd likely think twice about their actions if they had to fill the cistern by bucket each time they flushed.

[Toooldtobearsed]

We are metered. Two adults, 2 filthy labradors (means washing machine is on virtually daily with mucky towels).

We pay around £80 a quarter, which is a bargain. To be honest, I think it is incredible that we have access to safe, clean water at the turn of a tap and it is the ONE bill I never resent paying. I suppose if it makes us all think twice about reducing our water usage, it would not be a bad thing although I won't be giving it too much thought